Wolfe's Neck Northeast Farmers Fund

Grants of up to $50,000 for Northeast farms to expand market access for regenerative products. Funds can cover equipment, infrastructure and tools to scale or diversify production, certification and verification costs, post-harvest handling and value-added processing, and marketing, branding, packaging and distribution. Farmers may also opt in to funded soil sampling and analysis, and are paired with a Technical Assistance Provider to build the proposal and budget.

• Farms must have a Farm Service Agency Farm Number.

• Farms participating in another USDA Advancing Markets for Producers grant (e.g., Pasa) are not eligible (a farm with only one FSA Field ID and/or one commodity already enrolled in another AMP program cannot enroll).

• Priority for farms in the Northeast (ME, NH, VT, MA, RI, NY, CT); small to mid-sized farms ($50,000 to $2,000,000 annual gross farm income; a prioritization, not a disqualification; special consideration for beginning commercial farmers); farms improving soil health, pasture management and/or conservation; farms implementing conservation practices; farms pursuing or holding sustainability certification such as organic; farms expanding market access for regenerative and/or value-added products.

• Not allowed: projects already receiving federal funding (LAMP, OMDG, Dairy Business Innovation); any activity with an NRCS Conservation Practice Standard (wells, ponds, irrigation/drainage, fencing, high tunnels, etc.); activities requiring permits or NRCS environmental evaluation; general operating expenses; land purchase, rent or easements; livestock; inputs unrelated to market expansion; labor payments to owners or staff; debt repayment.

Paid in two stages: an initial payment (approximately 50%) after contracts are signed and the USDA reimbursement is received by WNC (may take up to 90 days), and a final payment after project completion documentation is received and the USDA reimbursement is received (may take up to 90 days). Projects must be completed before November 30, 2027.

Published amounts: Applicants may request up to $50,000 in total funding, which must cover the entirety of the proposed project(s). Soil sampling and analysis costs will be budgeted in addition to the project total and are not included in the $50,000 limit.

Submit an initial application during an open enrollment period; applications are reviewed on a rolling basis against a standard rubric until capacity is met. Approved applicants work with a Technical Assistance Provider to gather documentation (FSA Farm Number, W-9, quotes, soil maps) and develop a proposal and budget, which program staff approve before contracting. Between rounds, complete the Farmer Interest Form on the program page to be notified.

Deadline text on the page: Applications are now closed. We expect to open another application round early next year, as well as subsequent rounds in the future. (Most recent round: Oct 1-14, 2026 per the unlisted page https://wolfesneck.org/neff-test/: "We will be opening applications from October 1-14, 2026.") Projects must be completed before November 30, 2027.